Accursed foreigners have flooded the lands of the blessed Tassunara. Cheap imported goods ruin artisans and peasants. After them, the samurai also grow poorer. Foreign trade brings no benefits. The country shakes with uprisings and unpaid debts. The emperor’s power is weakening.
This can’t continue forever. Otherwise, in the near future, Tassunara is destined to become a miserable semi-colony of developed countries from the world of Mirem. However, not all foreigners understand that it will not happen—and cannot happen.
Sayan the Craftsman managed to break into the Imperial Palace and become the chief tutor of Rum Lingau, one of the emperor’s sons. But little is it to raise an educated and progressive ruler. It’s far harder to place him on his father’s throne. Because besides Rum Lingau, two other princes also lay claim to the title of ruler of the island empire—and each of them has plenty of determined supporters.
Subseries: “A Man Behind the Throne”—3.